1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tables used by animal care professionals and, more particularly, to a veterinary table assembly having a rotatable tabletop.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of different tables are used by animal care professionals to treat, examine and otherwise provide services for companion animals such as dogs and cats. These include surgery, examination, transport and grooming tables to name a few. The tables come in many different shapes and sizes and are constructed out of various materials. Typically, these tables consist of an elevated surface or tabletop mounted on a base. An animal is positioned on the tabletop in order to be examined or receive other treatments.
The design features of animal care tables vary widely. Most tables are freestanding but some are mounted on a wall or otherwise affixed to a support structure. Although many tables are stationary in nature, there are mobile tables that allow an animal to be transported into or within a care center. Some tables have a fixed working height, while others allow the height of the tabletop to be raised or lowered. Tabletops generally have a horizontal orientation but some can be tilted or otherwise adjusted. Various tables are equipped with features allowing an animal to be tethered or otherwise secured while on the tabletop.
Even though a table may have a specific designation, animal care professionals will often use a table for various functions. However, certain tables do have special features that make them well suited for a particular use. Surgery tables typically have height and position adjustable tabletops that are large enough to accommodate various surgical procedures for animals of various sizes. Examination tables may be equipped with weighing capabilities, special restraint features and storage capacity. Transport tables are mobile. Grooming tables have special tethering devices.
In their simplest form, fixed height examination tables consist of a tabletop mounted on a stationary base. The base can be columnar, have a plurality of legs or consist of a cabinet with drawers and compartments for storage. Another common type of fixed height table is affixed to a wall or other support structure. The simplicity and relative affordability of these tables made them the industry standard for many years. In more recent years, adjustable height tables were introduced consisting of a tabletop mounted on or to a base or frame containing a lifting mechanism that allows the tabletop to be raised and lowered. With these tables, animal handling issues are minimized because the animal may be placed on the tabletop when the tabletop is in a lowered position. These tables also provide a variety of tabletop working heights to accommodate different procedures and practitioners of various heights.
Adjustable height tables can be divided into two main groups depending on whether the tabletop is positioned directly above or perpendicular to the lifting mechanism. Tables with the tabletop above the lifting mechanism commonly deploy a scissors lift design. They are often mobile and can serve as an animal transport unit. Tables with a tabletop configured perpendicular to the lifting mechanism normally house that mechanism in a separate vertical structure from which the tabletop is cantilevered. These tables tend to be stationary and are often equipped with a back panel or other features to secure an animal while on the table.
Adjustable height tables with the perpendicular tabletop configuration fall into one of two categories depending on the orientation of the tabletop relative to the structure housing the lifting mechanism. In some tables, the tabletop extends width-wise from the structure, while in others it extends length-wise. One common element for all such tables is that the tabletop is fixed in either its width-wise or length-wise orientation. As such, when a practitioner purchases a table, a fundamental and irreversible determination is made about the nature and manner of examinations or other services to be performed on the table.
There are inherent advantages and disadvantages associated with the different tabletop orientations. A table with a width-wise oriented tabletop and back panel provides the maximum amount of flexibility to secure an animal on the tabletop. The back panel protects against the animal falling off the back of the tabletop. However, the back panel also restricts access to the side of the animal against the panel. On the other hand, a length-wise oriented tabletop and back panel allows a practitioner full access to both sides of an animal. It also offers more flexibility for carrying out certain procedures. However, with both sides of the tabletop open, there is less security with this configuration.